Election Day in Detroit: What to Know Before Voting, How to Find Results

November 4, 2025

Michigan voters are participating in municipal elections on Tuesday, with particularly significant races in Detroit for mayor and city council positions that may indicate trends for upcoming state and congressional elections. Detroit's mayoral race features City Council President Mary Sheffield as the favorite against Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr.

Who is affected

Voters in Detroit and Metro Detroit communities
Detroit mayoral candidates Mary Sheffield and Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr.
Detroit City Council candidates including Renata Miller, Willie Burton, Karen Whitsett, Denzel McCampbell, Gabriela Santiago-Romero, Tyrone Carter, Angela Whitfield Calloway, Roy McCallister, Janee Ayers, James Harris, Mary Waters, and Coleman A. Young II
Students and families in Novi Community School District, South Lyon, Lake Orion Community Schools, and Rockford Public Schools
Southfield clerk candidate Grossbard and write-in challengers Wynett Guy and Coretta Houge
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and challenger Nagi Almudhegi
Hamtramck candidates Muhith Mahmood, Adam Alharbi, Lynn Blasey, and outgoing Mayor Amer Ghalib
Arab and Muslim communities in Dearborn and Hamtramck
Michigan Democrats concerned about election administration

What action is being taken

Voters are casting ballots at polling locations across Detroit and Michigan
Unregistered voters can complete voter registration and vote on Election Day at designated locations
Polls are closing at 8pm with unofficial results flowing in afterward
School districts are asking voters to approve bond and millage proposals
Write-in candidates are campaigning in Southfield and Hamtramck races

Why it matters

The Detroit City Council races represent contests between different versions of Democratic progressive visions that could provide insights into Michigan's gubernatorial and Congressional races ahead of the 2025 midterm elections. The elections will determine leadership for Michigan's largest city at a critical time, with Mary Sheffield potentially becoming Detroit's first woman mayor. The controversial races in communities like Southfield (featuring an election denier candidate), Dearborn, and Hamtramck reflect broader national political divisions around election integrity, foreign policy positions on Gaza and Israel, and the influence of Trump's politics in local municipalities. The outcome of these races will shape municipal governance, school funding, and the direction of increasingly diverse communities across Metro Detroit.

What's next

Unofficial election results will be posted by the City of Detroit Elections Department throughout Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning
Mary Sheffield says she will vote at 11am at the Horatio Williams Foundation
If elected, Mary Sheffield would be sworn in as mayor on January 1
Amer Ghalib needs confirmation from Republican senators for his nomination as U.S. Ambassador of Kuwait

Read full article from source: Michigan Chronicle